SUMMARY: Species of hyphomicete genus Paecilomyces spp. inhabitants of a wide variety of enviromental niches, causing economic damage and mycosis in animals and humans. Since 2000, was perceived the occurrence of Paecilomyces spp. in containers of anatomic pieces in the hall of anatomy from the Pernambuco Federal Rural University, Brazil. Its is injuring anatomic pieces and putting in risk the health the people which work in the place. Studies have been done to solve this problem.

Species of the hyphomicete genus Paecilomyces are common inhabitants of a wide variety of environmental niches such as in soil and decaying organic material (Samson, 1974 and Samson et al., 1995). Some are occasionally found as agents of human and animal disease, particularly Paecilomyces lilacinus (Thom, 1932) Samson and P. variotti Bain. (Castro et al., 1990).

The systemic mycoses as well as other mycoses have in common an inanimate reservoir. Like other saprophytic fungi, the Paecilomyces spp. may be found in clinical materials without having etiologic significance (Jang et al., 1971).

The genus Paecilomyces was described by Bainier, in 1907 as one only species P. variotti (Brown & Smith, 1957). Although P. variotti are often considered as saprophytic fungi, may cause pathogenies named paecilomycosis. Many cases have already been described causing endocarditis (Silver et al., 1971), endocarditis by cardiac surgery infection (Jang et al., and Uys et al., 1963), systemic micosis in dogs (Jang et al.), cerebrospinal fluid shunt in a paient with cancer (Fagerburg et al., 1981), patient whose was lung transplant sumitted (Lee et al., 2002), infection of the paranasal sinuses of a child eight years old (Nayak et al., 2000), progressive cutaneous hyalohyphomycosis in a patient submitted for chemotherapy (Safdar, 2002), besides cases prosthetics introductions and imunossupression as pneumonia, peritonitis, fungemia, sinusits, endophthalmitis, cutaneos infection, and others described by search of Kantarcioglu et al. (2003), besides be used as a mycoinsecticide (Cantone & Vandenberg, 1999).

Facing these data about a high plasticity environmental fungi and who bring togheter diferents substrates, besides its capacity of cause pathogenies to the human and other animals, we are communicating the occurrence of Paecilomyces spp. in containers of anatomic piece in the hall of anatomy of the Animal Phisiology and Morfology Departament (DMFA) from the Pernambuco Federal Rural University (UFRPE), Brazil.

The occurrence has been percieved since 2000, and get attention for colonising the opened or shunted containers full of formaldeid, wich it form a superficial film up whole container, that according to technicians has a concentration of 10% of the total content, contrasting with papers that mention the capacity of this fungi colonise substrate with a formaldeid concentration of 2%.

Thereby we are iniciating specials studes about the genus Paecilomyces biology, searching steps and procedures to solve the problem. Besides this fungi, is injuring anatomic pieces, represents a risk to technicians health, monitors, professors and pupils that use the place to practice classes.

Acknowledge: Special thanks to Marcelo Paiva for the English correction and Dra. Norma for the fungi identification.